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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 2021
SUNDAY BREAKFAST
GIVING BACK
Northfield mercantile owner Lisa Chrisopoulos exemplifies persistence P22
From Iraq to the North Shore: A Circuitous Route Infectious disease specialist Dr. Rami Taha of Lake Forest shares a harrowing tale of how he got out of his native Iraq P16
NORTH SHORE FOODIE Chocolate-covered cherries for your Valentine P20 FOLLOW US:
NO. 434 | A JWC MEDIA PUBLICATION
MILLION DOLLAR DEALS SALES OF HOMES PRICED OVER $1 MILLION WERE UP 17 PERCENT IN 2020 OVER 2019, AND NORTH SHORE REALTORS ARE SEEING NO SIGNS IN EARLY 2021 OF A SLOWDOWN IN THE LUXURY MARKET. BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
Last year was, unexpectedly, a banner year for the real estate market on the North Shore. Ask any broker back in March or April what their 2020 prospects were for the market as the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding and they at best expressed uncertainty. Fast forward to January 2021 and what turned out to be a record year for home purchases, especially for the luxury market, shows no signs of dropping. According to Midwest Real Estate Data, homes at all price points, with an average sale price of $1.6 million, were up 47 percent in Kenilworth last year over 2019. They were up 17 percent in Wilmette with a price average of nearly $1 million; 30 percent in Winnetka with an average sale price of $1.3 million; and 21 percent in Glencoe with an average sale price of nearly $1.2 million. Interviews with North Shore real estate brokers and realtors this week reveal a confidence that these trends will continue throughout 2021. “There’s been a huge push in January of even more buyers and there’s less inventory so it’s so competitive. I was showing a $1 million-plus property yesterday and there were back-toback showings. We were in and then we had to be out at a certain time because there was another showing behind us,” says Carly Jones, with Engel & Völkers Chicago North Shore. “There is an urgency right now for buyers but Continued on PG 10
This stunning home at 1005 Mount Pleasant in Winnetka, listed by Jena Radnay of @properties, is a uniquely designed, multi-million dollar property with top shelf amenities and finishes.
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